The invention relates to a scale that includes a weighing system, a weighing chamber that is delimited by a windshield, a load transferring part (which is usually the scale pan) that carries the weight of the load and which introduces the weight thereof into the weighing system, extending into the weighing chamber, and a drive for opening and closing the windshield.
A scale of this type is disclosed by DE 42 36 391 C1. This scale has a cylindrical, rotatable windshield, which includes a window at the peripheral wall, through which the weighing chamber can be accessed. In order to close the windshield, the windshield is rotated so that the window is aligned with a non-rotatable closing plate which is fixed to the housing and is pressed against the edge of the window, thereby closing the windshield.
DE 36 01 408 C1 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,980) discloses an analytical scale which has a weighing chamber accommodated in a housing, and is closable on an upper side by laterally movable plates so that a type of lock chamber is formed. In this scale, a lifting element is also provided for the scale pan so that during loading of the weight, the scale pan is decoupled from the weighing system. Particularly in the case of scales with extremely high resolution, to which the present invention relates, transverse forces which act during loading of the weight onto the scale pan and can hardly be avoided, negatively affect the weighing result. An offset occurs in the display and it takes some time before the scale settles, that is, reaches a stationary state. In order to avoid this effect, the lifting mechanism is provided.